Descripción de la empresa
Northwest Natural Holding Company, operating primarily through its subsidiary Northwest Natural Gas Company, delivers regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, and industrial clients across the United States. The enterprise functions within the Utilities sector, specifically the Regulated Gas industry, a classification that denotes businesses subject to government oversight regarding rates and service standards. The company maintains a market capitalization of $2.29B, generates annual revenue of $1.29B, and employs a workforce of 1619 individuals. These financial metrics collectively indicate a mid-sized utility operation with a substantial operational footprint, reflecting its established position in the regulated energy infrastructure market.
Salud financiera
The company reported a revenue of $1.29B and a net income of $113.32M for the trailing twelve months, while its EBITDA stands at $473.46M. The significant gap between the $1.29B revenue and the $113.32M net income reveals a substantial cost structure comprising operating expenses, depreciation, and taxes that absorbs approximately 91.2% of top-line earnings. Despite the reported free cash flow of $-162,616,880, the firm's cash balance remains at $39.27M, suggesting that current cash outflows exceed operating cash generation, which impacts immediate financial flexibility. The gross margin is 43.9%, indicating the portion of revenue remaining after direct costs of goods sold, while the operating margin of 25.4% reflects efficiency in core operations before interest and taxes. The profit margin of 8.8% demonstrates the final percentage of revenue converted into net profit after all expenses are deducted. The company holds $39.27M in cash against $2.68B in debt, resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of 181.89, which characterizes a highly leveraged balance sheet rather than a conservative one. This high leverage is further underscored by a current ratio of 0.72, indicating that short-term assets are insufficient to cover short-term liabilities without external financing. Return on Equity sits at 7.9%, while Return on Assets is 2.9%, metrics that reveal how management generates returns relative to shareholder equity and total asset base respectively.
Evaluación de valoración
The trailing P/E ratio is 19.87, whereas the forward P/E is 17.00, implying that the market expects earnings growth sufficient to lower the valuation multiple in the future. The price-to-book ratio of 1.55 indicates that the market values the company's equity at 1.55 times its book value, reflecting a premium over the net asset value. Additional valuation perspectives include a price-to-sales ratio of 1.77 and an EV/EBITDA of 10.42, which provide alternative measures of value relative to sales and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Regarding trading range, the 52-week high is $55.39 and the 52-week low is $38.94; without a specific current price provided in the facts, the absolute percentage distance cannot be calculated, but the spread between these extremes highlights the recent volatility. The beta value of 0.49 signifies that the stock price is significantly less volatile than the broader market, moving at roughly half the intensity of the overall market index.
Growth & Income
Revenue growth year-over-year stands at 6.3%, while earnings growth year-over-year is 24.1%, indicating that earnings are expanding at a pace much faster than revenue. This divergence suggests improving operational efficiency or margin expansion rather than purely top-line volume growth. As a dividend payer, the company offers a dividend yield of 3.6% with a payout ratio of 70.8%. Given the earnings growth rate of 24.1%, a payout ratio of 70.8% appears sustainable as earnings are increasing rapidly enough to support the current dividend distribution without straining cash reserves. The overall growth and income profile presents a utility stock with moderate revenue expansion, accelerating earnings growth, and a substantial dividend yield supported by rising profitability.